Desk clip for message blanks



Jan. 7, 1930.v R. l. MEADER DESK CLIP FOR MESSAGE BLANXS Filed Jan. 12

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am @fm L-ttorneg Patented Jan. 7, 1930 Unirse stares carrier:

RALPH I. HEADER, F LYNBROOK, NEW' YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE`WESTERN 'UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK DESK CLIP FOR MESSAGE BLANKS Application led January 12, 1929.

This invention relates to a spring clip device for attachment to a desk for holding loose leaf blank forms and while especially intended for holding telegraph message blanks,

it may be used for holding letter heads, bill heads or other unpadded or loose leaves or blanks upon a desk.

The purposeof my invention is to provide a clip attachment for removably holding a pile or stack of loose blanks, such as message blanks, upon a desk in orderly arrangement while permitting the blanks to be withdrawn one by one without disturbing the remaining blanks.

The accompanying drawing is a perspectiveiview showing my desk clip attached to a des In order to maintain the loose blanks in an orderly pile while the top blank is being withdrawn, we have found it desirable to provide means for holding the blanks yieldingly along one side edgewith a pressure which increases progressively along said edge. In this manner the upper blank may be slid from under the end of the clip which bears more lightly upon the blanks While the bulk of blanks is firmly held in position by the greater pressure of the remaining portions of the clip. As this upper blank is pulled laterally in a direction from the upper left handcorncr to the lower right hand corner, it moves prcgressively from the other portions of the clip and as it is slid from under the successive portions thereof, said portions in turn bear upon the next lower blank.

I accomplish the purpose above described by providing a plurality of pressure fingers la, 1b, 1, which project over the left hand edge of the blanks 5, curving downwardly at their forward ends which are secured, preferably by hard solder, to a iiexible wire or rod 6. These fingers are pivotally mounted intermediate their ends on a rod 7, which is supported at either end in brackets 8, 8 secured to the desk.

In a prior Patent No. 1,671,869, granted to E. W. Hewitt and myself, the pressure iin.- gers were maintained under tension by coiled springs surrounding the pivot rod, .each spring being separately adjustable. This ar- Serial No. 332,191.

rangement was not satisfactory as it was exc eedingly difficult to secure the proper relative tension on the springs and it was even more diiiicult to maintain this relationship.

I have overcome these defects found in said rior device by providing an arrangement lor accurately placing the lingers under the proper relative tension and for easily varying the tensicn as desired. Moreover the tensioning members are readily accessible and they are attached to the pressure leversadjacent the forward clamping end where they exert a direct downward pull. This application ofthe spring is far more effective than the coiled spring applied at the fulcrum point of the lever.

I employ long helical springs 15 located beneath the top of they desk or gumming table 19 and which are connected at one end by hook and eye connect-ions to tensioning screws 16 which extend through holes in an angle iron 17 secured tothe underside of the desk and are provided withlock nuts 18. The other ends of the springs are secured by connecting links to flexible steel tapes 20 which slidingly bend around a rod 21 and then extend upwardly and are secured to hooks 23 fastened in the Aforward ends of the levers. The rod 21 is held in end brackets 24.

The tension on the springs is readily effected by pulling the screws outwardly the proper amount through the apertures in the angle iron 17, and securing them in adjusted position by means of the lock nuts 18. The tension on the upper spring is adjusted until it causesthe lever or fingerA 1EL to produce a slight drag on a message blank as it is pulled thereunder. The tension on the intermediate spring is adjusted to produce a greater pressure of the lever or finger 1"` and the lowermost springis adjusted to produce a still stronger pressure by the "lever or finger 1?.'

A cover plate 10 rests on top of the pres sure fingers and is pivotally secured tothe rod by apertured ears' 12 bent down from the ends of the plate. kThe fingers and pressure bar 6 may be lifted to insert a fresh lot of blanks by 'bearing upon the outer margin of the plate 10, the pressure being transmitted slide upon each other until their edges con-gV form to the inclination of the undercut block and the bottom edges 3l" will form an overhanging ledge. Hence the top blank will-always project over the edgesi of those below and 'may be readily lifted and grasped between the fingers andv thumb.

This loose leaf clip is especially useful for holdin'nr telegraph message blanks upon a socalled gumming table. The messages are received in printed form upon a continuous strip of paper which is gummed upon the underside. VThe strip is guided through a moistening tool which is grasped in the right hand of the operator. The free end of the strip is positioned on the message blank and held with the left hand while the moistener is pulled along the strip and simultaneously presses the latter upon the blank. As a length suflicient for a line is pasted on the message blank, the strip is severed and the operation is repeated until `Vthe complete message has been fixed to the blank. Y

The construction of the clip causes it to function Vin a manner to permit this operation to be performed rapidly and without any interruption. When a message blank has been filled with the' strips or a message has been completed, the top Vblank is removed by the operator by lifting the bottom of the blank with the thumb and forefinger of the left hand, and pulling it from the holder with a slight jerk in the approximate direction of a line drawn from the upper left hand corner to the lower right hand corner of the blank.

neath the supporting member, one end of eachspring being secured to oneV of` said fingers, and means for supporting the opposite ends of said springs and separately adjusting the tension thereof to thereby cause the said fingers to bear upon the blanks with differing pressures. y

2. A desk clip for holding loose leaf blanks, comprising a supporting member, a plurality of fingers pivotally mounted thereon, a Y

flexible bar secured to the free ends of said fingers and positioned to bear upon a margin of the blanks, a plurality of springs mounted beneath the supporting member, one end of each spring being secured to one of said fingers, adjusting screws carrying lock nuts secured to the opposite ends of said springs, andan anchoring device provided with apertures to receive said'screws.

f 3. In a desk clip as set forth in claim 1, flexible tapes connecting the fingers with the ends of the springs,and a rigidcbar engaging the tapes at an intermediate point to thereby v cause the tapes to extend downwardly from the fingers and after passing around the bar to extend in a horizontal plane with the springs.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

RALPH I. MEADER.

The light pressure at the top of the rod per- .Y

mits the removal of the upper left hand edge of the blank from under the pressure` rod without moving the balance of the stack of blanks. The tendency of .the successive blanks to move is reduced by the lighter presi sure at the top and is eii'ectually prevented by the angle stop 30 at the right handedgeof the desk. y

As the removal of thevblank progresses the pressure applied to the remainingblanks is continuous, due to the fact that the flexibility.

of the rod and the extent of its application is increasing. By the time the lower leftV hand corner of the blank is the only portion held Vby the clip, the remaining blanks are firmly held by the pressure rod and thecompleted message may; be entirely removed without 

